Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Friday, June 6th, 2025 | 2:00 PM
Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour began with the M/V Kestrel heading south in San Juan Channel. We slowly cruised by Goose Island getting looks at the Double-Crested Cormorant nests with Cattle Point lighthouse as the backdrop. We made our way into the Strait of Juan De Fuca admiring the beautiful Olympic Peninsula in the distance. We then headed Southwest towards an exciting whale report! We got word that at least two families of Biggs Killer Whales were in the area socializing together. A fellow Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) member had identified the whales as the T137s and the T49Bs, but with so much commotion, it’s possible additional whales were present. As we were getting on scene, we were greeted by a huge breach! Seeing a Bigg’s Killer Whale breach is always a spectacular sight. These marine mammal eating killer whales tend to remain in stealth mode, to not scare away their highly intelligent prey. Therefore, seeing any type of surface behavior from this ecotype of orca is a cause for celebration! We watched as these whales bonded with one another. We witnessed a lot of splashing around, several tail lobs, and tons of non directional surfacings. These whales stayed stationary, rolling around with one another for a good chunk of time. We were lucky to get the opportunity to just sit with our engines off, listening to their exhalations and hearing the smacks of their tails hitting the water's surface.
After our killer whale encounter, we headed east to another whale report. This time to catch up with some Humpback Whales. We got word that a Mom and calf pair were in the region traveling with another individual. We observed as these three humpbacks all surfaced one after another, swimming in a tight line next to each other. We waved goodbye to the humpbacks and made one last stop at Whale Rocks to view some Stellar Sea Lions. We returned back to Friday Harbor feeling grateful for such an epic encounter with some of nature‘s greatest beauties.